CAP Tulsa is one of many child care providers in Oklahoma to receive stabilization grants from the Department of Human Services over the past two years. These grants have helped provide stipends to early care educators, promoting staff retention in a fiercely competitive labor market.

Nevertheless, CAP Tulsa still has over 50 openings across 10 schools. Nearly 40% of child care centers in Oklahoma served fewer children than full capacity due to a staffing shortage — an alarming figure from the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s 2022 national field survey.

The current momentum in the state Legislature for providing salary increases for public school teachers is encouraging and much needed. But let’s not forget the early care educators who first teach our state’s youngest learners how to prepare for school.

The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment convened a group of advocates and policymakers last year to discuss how emergency funding through the American Rescue Plan Act afforded states compelling new ways to support the early childhood workforce.

As in Oklahoma, many early care educators in Vermont received retention bonuses during the pandemic. However, legislators there recognized that more permanent compensation reform is desperately needed. Current work in that state centers on establishing minimum compensation standards and identifying sources of revenue for sustained funding after one-time dollars expire.

Meanwhile, New Mexico is leading the charge, becoming the first state to dedicate permanent funding for child care in order to give all early care educators permanent raises and a wage floor.

The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment participants highlighted the need to adopt a holistic approach to compensation for the child care sector. Compensation reform should advance along with a range of interconnected policies, such as removing barriers to higher education in the field.

Last year, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education launched “Inspired to Teach,” an employment incentive for future teachers. This program offers Oklahoma students an opportunity to earn scholarships and benefits for completing preparation programs and then teaching in Oklahoma’s public schools.

Let’s expand this innovative investment by including similar supports for future early care educators who are equally committed to our state’s children.

Along with competitive compensation and access to higher education, we need to ensure that child care workers have access to benefits. The state of Washington covers health care premiums for employees of child care facilities. How can we make similar investments in early care educators across Oklahoma?

Too often, child care workers struggle to provide affordable care for their own children. Oklahoma addressed this issue using pandemic relief funds to make employees of licensed providers automatically eligible for child care subsidies, regardless of household income. However, this benefit expires in June. How can we offer this benefit more permanently?

Stipends are wonderful short-term tools for recruitment and retention, but they do not fix the inequities in compensation, incentives and benefits that have built up over time.

One-time funds have provided tremendous short-term relief, but dedicated funds are urgently needed to sustain the child care sector.

While we’re discussing salary increases for public school educators, let’s also address the needs of the child care workers. Let’s encourage our legislators to act boldly to build the capacity needed by working families while helping our youngest children prepare for school.